Bug FAQFish's Dart
Cerastis fishii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Source: Wikipedia
Cerastis fishii is a noctuid moth found in eastern North America, from Newfoundland and southern Ontario down to North Carolina and Tennessee. Adults are active from March through June and have a wingspan of about 30 to 36 mm. The caterpillars eat the flowers and leaves of blueberry plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Cerastis fishii belongs to the moth family Noctuidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 30 to 36 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in eastern North America, from Newfoundland and southern Ontario to western Maine, Ohio, Michigan, northern Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on blueberry flowers and leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from March to June.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active during the spring months, March through June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to eastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maine, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see adult Fish's Dart moths?
Adults are on the wing from March through June.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerastis_fishii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.